The perfumed 2017 Fincas is a blend of ancestral varieties—Caí?o and Sousón. It has moderate ripeness for a warm year like 2017 (13% alcohol) and a soft mouthfeel with some chalky tannins. 3,000 bottles were filled in August 2019.

The 2015 Fincas is a 50/50 blend of Caí?o and Sousón that managed to keep its alcohol level at 13%, and it also has good acidity, which is quite remarkable for a warm vintage. When I previously tasted this vintage, I found it quite oaky. This time, I found it less oaky, but it's still smoky, spicy and creamy—and I guess it always will be. There are notes of shoe polish and earth, which give it a rustic profile.

The 2011 Fincas is a 50/50 blend of Caí?o and Sousón from steep slate vineyards. As with other reds from this winery, the full clusters were foot trodden in open 600 liter oak barrels with indigenous yeast and transferred to barrique for malolactic and 16 months aging after fermentation. The wine rested in tank until it was finally bottled in August 2014. The slow, long aging process seems to have given the wine very good harmony and complexity and has balsamic notes intermixed with black pepper and wild fruit, quite shy, not too expressive, more subtle that its siblings. The palate is medium-bodied, and you feel more gritty, rustic tannins but great acidity. It seems to have the stuffing and components to develop well in bottle, but you should wait a bit before pulling the cork. 2,400 bottles were produced.

The 2010 Algueira Fincas is a blend of Ciano and Souson grown on slate soils and likewise aged in used, fifth-and sixth-year French oak. It has a very intense blackberry leaf, wild strawberry and loganberry bouquet that is beautifully defined and as fresh as a daisy. With aeration, confit aromas billow from the glass. The palate is underpinned by sharp, loganberry and blackberry fruit laced with cassis, and struck through by piercing acidity that maintains freshness and tautness, but mellows and softens toward a caressing finish. Excellent. Drink now-2017. Adega Algueira overlooks the River Sil from its lofty perch and uses fruit from its own vineyards: Mencia, Alvarello, Merenzao, and Caino for their reds, and Godello, Loureiro, Alvarino and Treixadura for the whites. Fernando Gonzalez Riveiro oversees a splendid portfolio that epitomizes the freshness and vitality that both the white and reds can offer. Importer: Antalva Import; www.antalva.com and Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY; tel.(914) 244-0404

The 2009 Fincas is a blend of native varieties Souson, Caino, and Brancellao that are being recovered by the winery. The wine was aged for 12 months in French oak. Sexy scents of sandalwood, spice box, black cherry, and black raspberry lead to a racy, nervy wine with slightly elevated acidity. Intense, complex, and unique, it has the balance to drink well for a decade, perhaps longer. The Adega Algueira wines are made by none other than Raul Perez. Importer: Antonio Martinez, Antalva Imports, Los Angeles, CA; tel. (310) 695-6260